Improvement in cheese-vats



W. RALPH.

Cheese Vat.

No. 45,076. Patented Nov. Y15, 1864.

UNITED STATES VILIJIAM RALPH, UF UTIOA, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN CHEESEVATS.

Speeiiication forming part of Letters Patent No. liltc, dated November l5, 1864.

fo all whom, t 11i/tty concern.-

thereby tending to lessen the baking7 or Be it known that I, WILLIAM RALPH, of congealing of the curd at the bottom of the the city of TJtica, in the -county of Oneida and State of New York, have invented new and usetul Improvements in Oheese-Vats; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construe` mass, and facilitating the cooking of such parts thereof as shall be at the top.

` A further object ot' theinvention is providing s pports for the inner vat ot" heet-conducting l l substances, so constructed that the water or tion and oieration of the same reference beother 1i uid used as medium of heat to the ing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specication, in which*- milk or cnrd shall be unobstructed in its circulation and the proper temperature more per- Figure lis a longitudinal vertical section of t'ectly imparted to the contents of theinner vat.

my invention, taken in the line o o, Fig. 2, and in the line o o in the perspective, Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same, taken inline o o, Figl l. Fig. 3 is a perspective drawing of a part Aot" said inventiontowit, tbe false bottom,partition,or diaphragm, separately shown for the purpose of more clearly showing the construction ot' the same and the supports of the inner vat thereto attached, similar letters indicating` the same parts in the different figures.

rIhe object of this invention is to secure the means whereby a quantity of hot water may be obtained in the early stages of the process of making cheese, and at all times thereafter during the process, which shall be heated in the tank or reservoir C, Fig. l, and by the same re used in imparting heat to the milk, or the whey and curd contained in the inner vat, B, Figs. l and 2, and which water in heating need not necessarily be intermixed or commingled with the water in the water-space t', between the outer vat, A, and inner vat, B, thereby insuring its greater purity.

The invention has for its further object the more perfect heating of the milk and scalding or cooking of the curd, whereby the curd shall be more uniformly cooked, and the quality of the cheese thereby improved, and its quantity increased by reason ot' the lessened amount ot' agitation thereof required to secure its being uniformly cooked, and the consequent lessened amount of abrasion of the particles of curd, and their reduction by reason thereofto a milky state; a further object being to guard the bottom ofthe inner vat from an excess of heat by distributing the currents of water irst around the sides and ends of the inner vat, aportion of heat being thereby imparted to such parts. The currents of heated water, at diminished temperatures, are from thence conducted under the bottom of the inner vat,

'Io enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will l proceed to describe it. t A represents the outer vat or boX, rectangular in shape, and is supported at a' proper 1 height by legs. To this vat is attached at its t bottom, and extending the whole length therel of, a heating iue or cylinder, E. rIhis cylinl der is placed within a case, e, Fig. 2. The case represents a half-cylinder, the heater i being so placed within it as to leave a waterl space around such cylinder the whole length of the vat. Connected with the outer vat, ,and opening at one end into the bottom l thereof, and at the other end into the bottom l, of the case e, are the pipes h 7L 11, Figs. 1 and 2. lVithin the outer vat, and resting on its bottom, are the hollow supports g g g, constructed of sheet metal, the'ends ot' which supports are shown in Fig. l. Upon these is constructed ot' wood or some other heatnon-conducting substance, and is made tight, except the passages through the tubes h h h, communicating with the tubes h h h, (shown clearly at 71, h., Fig. 2.) The sides and ends of the false bottom extend upward into the space t' between the outer and inner vat, a recess being left all around it and the sides and ends of the outer vat. The inner vat, B, is conl structed ot' sheet metal, corresponding in shape to that of the outer vat, except that it t decreases in size gradually from the top to the bottom. The vat B rests upon the hollow supports g and tlat tubes 7e, (shown clearly in Fig. 3,) and a water-space is left between it and the sides and ends of the false bottom, communicating with the space under the bot tom of the inner vat. The hollow supports g g, Fig. l, and g g, Fig. 3, are open at both ends, and the iiat tubes k la k are open only at the end near the middle of the false bottom,

\ supports rests the false bottom, Fig. 3. This reservoir or tank l(j, Fig. 1, the water in whichr is intended to be separated from that contained in the water-space between the outer and inner vat, above described, by the' partition m, Fig. l.. At the bottom of said reservoir is the fireplace H, in which the iire is made for heating the water contained in the reservoir C as well as that contained in the water-space i,

between the outer vat,A,`and the inner vat, B.

The tire-place H is ot' similar construction to the heating cylinder or flue E and its case e, and the heatingcylinder ot' the reservoir H is connected with and communicates with the heating-cylinder ot the vat below the partition m. Below the heater E is a Hue-pipe, F. (Shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.) This pipe is connected with tire-place H kat one end, and

with the smoke-pipe L at the other end, the l smoke-pipe L, Fig. l, being connected aswell with the heater E as with the fine-pipe F. Within the flue-pipe F is the damper or valve n, which is intended to be closed during the application of heat to the milk or curd, and turned down'or opened when the Water in the reservoir C is only intended to be heated. Within the heater E is also a damper or valve, P, to be used t'or s utting the heat from the heater E when the proper temperature has been attained in the contents of the inner vat.

The operation of the invent-ion is as follows: Milk is put into theinner yat, B, and the space 'i and f is filled with water; also, the reservoir C. For the purpose ot' extracting the animal heat, or reducing the temperature ot' the milk, ice may be put into the reservoir, and the water from thence made to pass through the space t' to the opposite end of vat A, and from thence discharged through a faucet at or near the surface of the milk. When the cheese is being made, fire is-applied to the tire-place H, Fig. 1 5 the damper or Valve P is turned down, as shown, the tire-place H thereby communieating' with the heater E and smoke-pipe L,

the damper a being closed, as shown. The

waterin C is therebyquicklyheatcd and ready for the various uses ot the dairy, and the water around the cylinder E and in the space t" becomes the medium of heat to the milk contained in B, the currents of which iiow in the directions indicated by the arrows-that is to say, the Water, being put in motion by the heat evolved from the heater E, rises upward, the current striking the under side of the false bottom D. From thence it passes to the sides and ends of' the vat, and over the sides and ends of saidfalse bottom, in contact with the sides and ends of the inner vat, B; thence under bottom of' the inner vat to the middle thereof, as indicated by the line o o, Fig. 3. The water, having thus imparted its heat to the milk, Whey, or curd, enters the fiat tubes k k 7e, (shown clearly in Fig. 3,) from which it is conducted through the tubes It JL It to the under side of the heater E, from which point itis reheated and again performs the same circuit.

Having thus described my invention, I do not claim a false bottom, partition, or diaphragm having holes or apertures through Whichthe heated Water iiows upward and is thereby tirst directed to the bottom of the inner vat; but

What I do claim isl. The false bottom, partition,or diaphragm D, so constructed as to keep the Water heated by the heater E from contact with the bottom of the inner vat, B, until itV shall have been in contact with the sides, or the sides and ends thereof, and imparted a portion of its temperature to the same.

2. The hollow supports g, used in combination With the outer vat, A',inner vat, B, or the false bottom or partition D, substantially as and for the purpose described'.

3. The use of one or more pipes, F, in combination with the valves or damper n and P, for the purpose described.

WM. RALPH.

Witnesses J. H. PARKER, EDWIN RALPH. 

